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Logical fallacies
'''Logical Fallacies '''are arguments that focus on personal opinion and lack evidence and reasoning. A fallacy is a claim that is commonly based on false or insufficient evidence. Every fallacy contains a premise and a conclusion. The premise is a statement that is used to justify the conclusion. There are many different types of fallacies that can be found in literature, politics, and everyday life. Personal Attack The Personal Attack Fallacy focuses not on the evidence behind an argument, but on the person presenting the argument. Personal Attacks seek to discredit the individual rather than the view. This Fallacy is usually based on personal bias toward an individual, such as when someone argues that something is bad because they have a problem with the person associated with the idea. http://www.amosweb.com/cgi-bin/awb_nav.pl?s=wpd&c=dsp&k=fallacy+of+personal+attack Examples •The mayor is an alcoholic, therefore we should not pass his new city ordinances. •Sam was a lousy quarterback, therefore he will not be a good class president. Hasty Generalizations Hasty Generalization fallacies are committed when not enough evidence is collected to draw a conclusion about a particular topic. This fallacy is usually based on a sample that is not large enough to warrant a logical conclusion. The samples are unlikely to correctly represent a population. http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/hasty-generalization.html Examples •Two of my friends from college say they do not get enough sleep, therefore all college students must not get enough sleep. •My sister and her girl friends ride horses, therefore only teenage girls ride horses. Appeal to Authority This fallacy occurs when an arguer believes something to be true not based on evidence, but because a figure of authority said it to be true. Many people believe statements given by poeple of authority such as a teacher, professor, or public figure. The media contributes to this fallacy displaying information that people assume must be true because the media seems like a reliable source.http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Appeal_to_authority.html Examples •Oprah says global warming is real, so global warming must be real. •I heard on the news that Eastern Michigan University has one of the highest crime rates on a college campus, therefore it must be true. False Cause This fallacy is committed when an arguer believes there to be a connection between two things without any proof of correlation. This fallacy lacks evidence to support the claim. Many times false cause fallacies are committed unintentionally. Connections are commonly made between two situations without using logic and reasoning. http://mind.ucsd.edu/syllabi/98-99/logic/cause.html Examples •I drank a glass of lemonade and now I have a headache. The lemonade must have caused my headache. •I went outside without a coat on and now I am sick. Going outside without a coat on must have caused my sickness. Appeal to Popularity Appeal to Popularity is committed when a person believes that an idea must be true because many people believe it to be true. No logic is used to support the claim. The claim is simply believed because it is widely accepted by others. The media plays a large role in this fallacy. The media promotes products using advertisements and celebrities to make the audience feel they are the best because everyone else has them. http://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-to-popularity/ Examples •Everyone loves Apple products, so they must be the best electronic brand available. •Everyone wears Ugg boots, therfore they must be the warmest boots. References